Dino Perez is an artist from Santa Ana, CA, whose work explores themes of memory,
place, racism, diaspora, youth culture, and family traditions. Drawing from pivotal moments in
his youth, such as the political and social climate of the 1990s, Dino creates installations and
collages that reflect his personal experiences growing up in an immigrant community.
His work delves into the vivid memories of 1994, a year marked by the anti-immigrant
Proposition 187 in California, and 1998, a time of discovery through music and youth culture.
Through mixed media, including family photos, protest imagery, and cultural symbols, Dino
examines the complexities of identity, belonging, and resilience.
Dino has been an Artist-in-Residence at Grand Central Art Center (2016-2019), where he
led the project Coloring with the Community, fostering connections through art in the Lacy
Neighborhood of Santa Ana. He also completed a residency at the Akumal Art Festival in
Mexico in 2018, where he painted a mural and taught workshops to local youth.
His solo exhibition It’s Time the Tale Were Told at the Orange County Center for
Contemporary Art in 2018 showcased the migration story of his family from Mexico to Santa
Ana, using performance, sound, and mixed media to explore the nuances of first-generation
identity.
